MGM is in crisis as hundreds of Las Vegas shooting victims accuse the Mandalay Bay of missing red flags

Hundreds of victims of the Las Vegas shooting have filed lawsuits against the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino and its parent company MGM Resorts International.

Several lawsuits — the largest of which was filed on behalf of 450 people — attempt to hold MGM legally liable for the shooting, which killed 58 people and injured hundreds more. Victims are additionally suing the shooter Stephen Paddock’s estate and the concert organizer Live Nation Entertainment Inc. as well as, in some cases, the manufacturer of the bump stocks that allowed Paddock to fire as if he were using automatic weapons.

The crux of the lawsuits’ arguments is that MGM and the Mandalay Bay failed to take preventive measures that might have foiled the attack. Plaintiffs argue that staff members should have been better trained to spot red flags with Paddock.

Over the three days between when Paddock checked in to the hotel and fired from his window at a concert across the street, Paddock took at least 10 suitcases filled with firearms into his room. Police officials said Paddock also constructed an elaborate surveillance system in the hotel, placing two cameras in the hallway outside his suite — one on a service cart — as well as a camera in his door’s peephole.

“The incident that took place on October 1st was a terrible tragedy perpetrated by an evil man,” MGM said in a statement to Business Insider. “These kinds of lawsuits are not unexpected and we intend to defend ourselves against them. That said, out of respect for the victims, we will give our response through the appropriate legal channels.”

New decision is ominous for Mandalay Bay

In October, the Nevada Supreme Court found that MGM could be held liable in a 2010 assault on a California couple at one of the company’s hotels, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. The court ruled that the attack was “foreseeable” because there had been similar cases of violence at the hotel.

The question of whether the Las Vegas shooting was foreseeable is at the center of the Mandalay Bay lawsuits.

With several high-profile mass shootings having taken place in the US before the Las Vegas shooting, attorneys may argue that hotels and other venues should know to expand measures to try to prevent them, legal experts told Business Insider before any cases were filed.

“Foreseeability is one of the key components of liability,” said Dick Hudak, a managing partner of Resort Security Consulting.

Heidi Li Feldman, a professor at Georgetown Law School, says it’s “entirely feasible” that an attorney would make this argument based on the fact that mass shootings have taken place at other entertainment venues.

“If Congress isn’t regulating gun ownership, it is going to be private parties … who end up regulating their own premises,” Feldman said.

The hotel industry has no national standards for security, and hotels aren’t typically held accountable for guests’ behavior. But if any of the hundreds of victims suing Mandalay Bay win their case, it could set a new precedent for the way hotels handle security.

A drone operator was arrested on Sunday for allegedly flying a small aircraft over two football stadiums in California, prompting an investigation by federal, state and local law enforcement.

The suspect, who was not immediately identified, used a drone to distribute anti-media leaflets over NFL crowds during the game between the 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium, according to The San Francisco Chronicle.

The drone then moved on to the Coliseum stadium in Oakland and attempted to drop flyers over people watching the Raiders game against the Denver Broncos, authorities said.

“If they are dropping leaflets, they can drop anything really, if you think about it, and it’s kind of scary to think that someone can just fly something over during the game and nobody can really stop it,” Ariana Rivera, a 49ers fan, told local KGO-TV station.

Most leaflets did not reach the people, as they were carried away by the wind.

Santa Clara Police Lt. Dan Moreno said the man was motivated by “something about free speech and his belief that television stations are corrupt,” the Chronicle reported.

The drone enthusiast broke a number of laws by flying the device over the stadiums. It is illegal to fly a drone within five miles of an airport and local laws in Santa Clara ban any drones within 500 yards of a facility, according to the police chief.

Both stadiums were within the five mile radius of an airport.

“If one of them were to crash, the blades are sharp — we certainly don’t want them hitting the crowd or the players,” said Moreno, the Chronicle reported. “It’s kind of up to the abilities of the drone operators and there is no way of knowing if they know what they are doing. A stadium is not a good place to fly a drone.”

You can understand fans’ enthusiasm; Auburn hadn’t beaten Alabama since 2013, and the victory may well have denied the Tide a slot in the College Football Playoff. But the fans, showing more passion than athleticism, had a little trouble clearing the hedges that surround the field.

As a result, both the hedges and the field are pretty chewed up, and Auburn is in the process of assessing the damage to both. A sweep of the hedges has turned up cellphones, sunglasses and other assorted paraphernalia left behind by revelers.

“The extent of the real damage will not be seen until the spring, when the Bermudagrass breaks dormancy,” Eric Kleypas, Auburn’s director of athletic turf and grounds, told the Opelika-Auburn News. “Then, we will know if the field can recover without the need for sod.” Crews will need to fertilize the bushes to help them recover, and may need to aerate the field to help it recover from getting stomped by tens of thousands of joyous Tiger fans.

The field-storming not only simulated the force of an earthquake, it triggered a $250,000 fine. The SEC has prohibited field-storming since 2004, and this marked Auburn’s third such violation of the rule. “Fans are expected to remain in the stands and avoid the safety concerns associated with rushing on to the playing field,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement. “We want exciting experiences around SEC games, but also seek to maintain a safe environment for student-athletes, coaches, spectators and officials.”

Canadian police have arrested a Somalian man suspected of stabbing an officer and deliberately ramming pedestrians during a high-speed chase in a rented truck, injuring four in what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau denounced as a “terrorist attack”.

Authorities in Edmonton confirmed the 30-year-old had applied for asylum and was known to the security services following a complaint in 2015.

“There was insufficient evidence to pursue terrorism charges,” Marlin Degrand, of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said at a press conference, adding: “The suspect was not deemed to pose a threat to Canada.”

Police declined to identify the man because he had not yet been charged, saying the pending charges included terrorism and five counts of attempted murder.

The arrest early on Sunday came after an officer was run over outside a football game and attacked with a knife. Hours later, a U-Haul van injured four other people after swerving into pedestrians in a second attack police believe is related.

advertisement

The recovery of an Islamic State flag from one of the vehicles used in the attacks had led police to pursue the incidents as an act of terrorism.

Edmonton police chief Rod Knecht said officers took a suspect into custody and they think he acted alone. The attack began outside a Canadian Football League game at Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday night. Police said a white Chevrolet Malibu rammed a traffic control barricade and sent an officer flying into the air 15ft.

Knecht said the driver then got out and assaulted the officer with a knife before fleeing on foot. The officer was taken to a hospital and treated for non-life threatening injuries while a manhunt was launched. “It’s not critical,” Knecht said of the injuries.

A few hours later, a U-Haul van was stopped at an impaired driving check stop north of downtown on Wayne Gretzky Drive. Knecht said the name of the driver was close to the name of the registered owner of the car that hit the officer. He said the U-Haul sped off toward downtown with police in pursuit.

Police say the U-Haul intentionally swerved at pedestrians at crosswalks throughout the chase. Four people were injured – the extent of their injuries was not immediately known. The van eventually flipped near a downtown hotel and a suspect was arrested.

“It is believed at this time that these two incidents are related,” Knecht said. “It was determined that these incidents are being investigated as acts of terrorism.”

Advertisement

Knecht said Edmonton police wre working with the Royal Canadian Mounted police’s national security enforcement team and other Canadian security agencies. Knecht told the public to remain vigilant and observant of their surroundings.

Knecht said police did not call off the chase of the U-Haul due to the seriousness of the crime. Witness Pat Hannigan told reporters he saw police pull the man from the windshield of the toppled U-Haul. He estimated 30 police cars were chasing the U-Haul.

Austin Elgie, manager of the Pint bar just west of the downtown core, also saw the van zoom by with police giving chase. The van “peeled” into an alley where people were smoking, he said.

“It was crazy,” he said. “It just came around the corner, ripping. I thought at first he was pulling over for the cops coming by, but he was clearly the one they were chasing.”

Elgie said the van hit a man who was a bar customer.

“I have a registered nurse on my bar team and I grabbed her and had her look after the guy until the ambulance came,” he said. “He was breathing and we got him in the ambulance and he was still breathing.”

Rachel Notley, the Alberta premier, said on Twitter her thoughts were with the injured officer and she was hoping for a speedy recovery.

It was military appreciation night at the football game between the Edmonton Eskimos and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Canada’s chief of defence staff, Gen Jonathan Vance, conducted the pregame coin flip at Commonwealth Stadium and two CF-18 fighter jets did a fly-past before kickoff. More than 800 Boy Scouts were expected at the game and many were planning to camp out on the field afterward.